Emily jumped down into the arroyo at opposite ends of the earthen bridge, while Justine stood on the top, Taser in hand, ready to jump down and back up whomever needed her.
Ella stepped forward, her hand onthe butt of her weapon, then stopped right outside the four-foot-diameter metal pipe and looked in. She could see someone near the middle, crouched low, and at the other end of the fifteen-foot metal culvert was Emily.
“Hey, tumbleweed. Come out slowly and we won’t have to use the Taser. Standing on all that metal you’re going to glow like a spark plug if we have to shock you,” Ella said.
Lessthan five seconds later the suspect bolted, knocking Emily down as he erupted from her end of the big metal pipe. Ella sprinted forward through the culvert as fast as she could, hunkered down. But by the time she cleared the east end, Justine had already jumped right behind the fleeing man and fired the Taser. The contacts struck him in the back like wire-guided hornets and he flopped forward ontothe sand.
Justine cut the power and Emily cuffed the stunned suspect. Fifteen minutes later, the suspect was in the back of Ella and Justine’s unit. Emily had given him a field sobriety test, and he’d failed the Breathalyzer as well. Gilbert Tso, verified from his driver’s licence, was still a bit dazed and in no condition to go anywhere now, even if he’d been able to remove the handcuffs.
Emily had already called in the all-clear to other sheriff department units when she came up to say good-bye to Justine and Ella. “I’m going to make sure our prisoner didn’t try to stash anything inside the culvert. Then I’ll examine the prisoner’s vehicle and, after that, it’ll end up in the impound yard. I called in a wrecker.”
“Good work. Let us know if you find anything. Otherwise, see youlater tonight,” Ella said. “And thanks for your help.”
“Not a problem. By the way, I’ve never seen anyone keep up such a fast pace in stubby ground like this—except a jackrabbit, maybe. What do you have, little wings on those shoes of yours?”
Ella laughed. “Actually, no one can run fast through a field like this one. But when you’re chasing a drunk he usually makes you look good.”
Emily walkedaway, and Ella turned to her partner. “The county will handle the situation at this end. In the meantime, we’ll take the prisoner back to the station and see what he can tell us,” Ella said.
Once they arrived, twenty minutes later, Justine went directly to booking with Tso. Ella, a few steps behind, only got as far as the front desk before Big Ed came out and signaled her into his office.
BigEd Atcitty, their chief of police, was aptly named. The veteran officer was shaped like a rain barrel with arms. However, it would have been a big mistake to assume his bulk was simply flab. He was as solid as they came and, to date, he enjoyed the fact that no perp had ever knocked him off his feet, though many had tried during his years in the field.
“Take a seat, Shorty,” he said, gesturingto a chair in his office. He’d given her that nickname to tease her since Ella was actually taller than he was.
“I just heard that the Fierce Ones are planning on looking into your homicide case. What do you know about that?” Big Ed asked.
“So far I don’t think they’re directly involved, but that could change, depending on how fast we get results,” she said and explained the circumstances andher conversation with Lena Clani.
“You think the suspect you hauled in could be the killer?”
“It’s too early to know for sure, but why else run from the police? Maybe we’ll get lucky and close this one fast,” she said, hoping it would be true. Yet, even as she said it, a part of her knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Nothing on the Rez was ever that simple.
Four
Ella sat in the stark interrogation room across the table from their suspect, saying nothing, letting him sweat. Justine had already tried to question him but
Ella stepped forward, her hand onthe butt of her weapon, then stopped right outside the four-foot-diameter metal pipe and looked in. She could see someone near the middle, crouched low, and at the other end of the fifteen-foot metal culvert was Emily.
“Hey, tumbleweed. Come out slowly and we won’t have to use the Taser. Standing on all that metal you’re going to glow like a spark plug if we have to shock you,” Ella said.
Lessthan five seconds later the suspect bolted, knocking Emily down as he erupted from her end of the big metal pipe. Ella sprinted forward through the culvert as fast as she could, hunkered down. But by the time she cleared the east end, Justine had already jumped right behind the fleeing man and fired the Taser. The contacts struck him in the back like wire-guided hornets and he flopped forward ontothe sand.
Justine cut the power and Emily cuffed the stunned suspect. Fifteen minutes later, the suspect was in the back of Ella and Justine’s unit. Emily had given him a field sobriety test, and he’d failed the Breathalyzer as well. Gilbert Tso, verified from his driver’s licence, was still a bit dazed and in no condition to go anywhere now, even if he’d been able to remove the handcuffs.
Emily had already called in the all-clear to other sheriff department units when she came up to say good-bye to Justine and Ella. “I’m going to make sure our prisoner didn’t try to stash anything inside the culvert. Then I’ll examine the prisoner’s vehicle and, after that, it’ll end up in the impound yard. I called in a wrecker.”
“Good work. Let us know if you find anything. Otherwise, see youlater tonight,” Ella said. “And thanks for your help.”
“Not a problem. By the way, I’ve never seen anyone keep up such a fast pace in stubby ground like this—except a jackrabbit, maybe. What do you have, little wings on those shoes of yours?”
Ella laughed. “Actually, no one can run fast through a field like this one. But when you’re chasing a drunk he usually makes you look good.”
Emily walkedaway, and Ella turned to her partner. “The county will handle the situation at this end. In the meantime, we’ll take the prisoner back to the station and see what he can tell us,” Ella said.
Once they arrived, twenty minutes later, Justine went directly to booking with Tso. Ella, a few steps behind, only got as far as the front desk before Big Ed came out and signaled her into his office.
BigEd Atcitty, their chief of police, was aptly named. The veteran officer was shaped like a rain barrel with arms. However, it would have been a big mistake to assume his bulk was simply flab. He was as solid as they came and, to date, he enjoyed the fact that no perp had ever knocked him off his feet, though many had tried during his years in the field.
“Take a seat, Shorty,” he said, gesturingto a chair in his office. He’d given her that nickname to tease her since Ella was actually taller than he was.
“I just heard that the Fierce Ones are planning on looking into your homicide case. What do you know about that?” Big Ed asked.
“So far I don’t think they’re directly involved, but that could change, depending on how fast we get results,” she said and explained the circumstances andher conversation with Lena Clani.
“You think the suspect you hauled in could be the killer?”
“It’s too early to know for sure, but why else run from the police? Maybe we’ll get lucky and close this one fast,” she said, hoping it would be true. Yet, even as she said it, a part of her knew it wouldn’t be so easy. Nothing on the Rez was ever that simple.
Four
Ella sat in the stark interrogation room across the table from their suspect, saying nothing, letting him sweat. Justine had already tried to question him but
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